I agree with everyone else that kids really don't get teased for their name, and when they do it's more for a crude rhyming word that they discovered than because the name is unusual.

I also agree with this:

Originally Posted by alphabetdem

Also, your child won't be a child forever. They'll be an adult for a lot longer than they'll be in elementary or middle school. Parents should be more concerned about how a name looks on a job application, imo.

I'm going to be a senior in high school next year and I've never seen a kid actually, legitimately bullied for their name. I've seen kids make funny remarks about the names of other kids, but never actual mean-spirited, go-home-in-tears bullying. That being said, I definitely know a name that finishes your sentence - I have a friend with a variant spelling of Tatiana (which everyone here seems to like and I also think is a beautiful name) but she gets called titty-ana allll the time. I think it's just the age group, but it probably gets old for her.

I have not been teased for my name but I have seen others teased for theirs. Juvenile stuff (as it tends to be). For boys, effeminate names can lead to taunts of being "gay". I remember a classmate named Gabriel being called "Gay-briel" (emphasis on the first syllable). Kids can be cruel for no apparent reason. Yes, the child will hopefully "make the name"... but I'd hate to make it harder on him or her by making him/her struggle against a name so unusual that it set them apart as an easy target.

Definitely agree with the job application comment. Names also have to pass the supreme court justice test, the blind date test, and stripper test.

1) is this the name of someone you would hire? (yes)
2) does this name sound legitimate/serious enough to be that of a supreme court justice? (yes)
3) would I go on a blind date with someone who had this name? (yes)
4) does this sound like the name of a future stripper? (no)

Name Bullies

You've really never seen it? Wow. I was picked on CONSISTENTLY as a Patti, both for humor's sake and maliciously. (Patty-cake, Krabby Patty, Patty Melt, Pepperment Patti... the list goes on for DAYS.) I did also once accidentally respond to Fatty in a crowded middle-school hallway... took years to live that one down. Even if it doesn't get to the level of bullying per se, I would STRONGLY encourage new parents to think through any possible bad puns, jokes, or references inherent to the name before you give it to your child. (And I would STRONGLY warn against the nickname Patti! It's easily misspelled-- Patti/Patty/Pattie are all equally as common-- it rhymes with every other name on the playground, and the puns are terrible. Just... horrendous. If you must use the name Patricia, go with the full name or Trish/Tricia as a nickname. If it weren't for the fact that I'm named after two aunts I love dearly, I would change my name in a heartbeat if given the opportunity.)